Dream of Butterfly
by Jenna Riedell
Summary: An apocalypse shakes the quiet, peaceful city of Mikage-cho to the core. All of a sudden, demons are spilling into the city, and the corporation SEBEC is looking suspicious. And the worst part? No one can leave. And it's all up to nine high school students to save everyone. Persona 1 with a female protagonist.
1. Chapter 1

"_Once upon a time, I dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was myself. Soon I awakened, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man." – Zhuangzi_

* * *

"Hey, have you guys heard of the Persona game?"

It was an innocent question in and of itself – and the fact that it was Hidehiko Uesugi who asked the question in the first place removed much of its credibility.

And, as it turned out, Masao Inaba didn't believe a single word. "I heard that was all just bullshit," he said as he spray-painted a canvas.

"C'mon!" Hidehiko said, slinging one arm around Masao's shoulders and creating an unintentional yellow line across the canvas that Akari was sure wasn't supposed to be there. "Maybe it's not anything big or flashy, but weird stuff _does_ happen. I'll even bet you an all-you-can-eat dinner at the Peace Diner!"

"You're on!" Masao shot back.

Yuka Ayase, who was standing next to Masao, whooped in delight. "I'm with Hidehiko!" But really, it looked more like she was trying to get out of doing any work, if only for a short while.

"Me too," Eriko Kirishima said, smiling demurely.

"Wha—come on!" Masao yelled indignantly. "You guys can't be serious!"

"It's absolute bunk," Kei Nanjo said haughtily, not even bothering to look in Masao's direction.

"S-So you'll back me up here, Nanjo?"

"Not a chance."

"Yeah, I agree," Yukino Mayuzumi added, raising her eyebrows disbelievingly. "It sounds kind of stupid."

"Oh, come on!" Masao whined. "What about you, Akari-san? Kido?"

"Forget it," Reiji Kido muttered.

"I'll side with you, Masao-kun," Akari said earnestly, clasping her hands together. "I don't have any money on me, though…"

"Wait, so we're actually doing this?" Yukino asked disbelievingly. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"All right!" Hidehiko cheered, pumping his fist in the air. He practically skipped over to Yuka and Eriko and slung his arms around their shoulders, guiding them to a corner of the room. "Oy, Masao, get over here!" Masao sighed and rolled his eyes as he went to join the other three. "Okay, here's what we do: we stand in a circle, we say the magic words, and then we tap the next person. Got it?"

"I'll start!" Yuka volunteered cheerfully. "Persona, Persona, please come here." She slapped Hidehiko hard on the back. "Your turn, Hidehiko!"

"Persona, Persona, please come here," Hidehiko said before clapping Masao on the shoulder. "Your turn."

"Nah, I think I'll pass," Masao said fleetingly.

"All-you-can-eat!" Hidehiko yelled in Masao's ear, earning a sharp glare from everyone for his trouble. "All-you-can-eat!"

"All right, whatever," Masao muttered. "Persona, Persona… c'mere, or something." He tapped Eriko on the shoulder.

Eriko smiled as she clasped her hands together. "Persona, Persona, please come here." She placed a gentle hand on Yuka's back. Then…

"All that trouble for nothing," Kei said disapprovingly.

"Hidehiko, you jerk!" Yuka shrieked, smacking the taller boy on the arm. "You made me look like an idiot!"

"N-No way!" Hidehiko protested. "Masao did it wrong! We have to do it again!"

Masao grinned smugly as he clapped Hidehiko on the shoulder. "It's okay, dude. I'm sure a nice dinner at _Peace Diner_ will make up for your epic fail."

"Help me…" For a second, Akari wasn't sure if she'd heard the voice at all. But, sure enough, a wispy apparition of a small girl holding a large teddy bear stood crying a little ways behind Masao. "Help me!"

"Wh-What is that…?" Kei whispered.

"Wh-What the hell…?" Masao said shakily.

But the girl looked familiar. Akari stepped forward and tried to ignore the blue electricity crackling among the lights on the ceiling. "What are you doing?" Reiji hissed at her, and for a second, Akari thought he was going to try and stop her.

The girl had shoulder-length hair, with a ribbon on top of her head. Actually, she looked a lot like… "Maki…?"

The girl looked up at her and gave a sob, and Akari wasn't prepared for the girl to completely phase through her. Akari's body felt cold as the world spun around her. Around her, people were shouting, and it wasn't until pain radiated through her body that she realized why.

It wasn't so much that her consciousness faded, but rather that it shifted entirely to another place. The next thing she knew, she was floating down a long, twisting corridor, with nothing but a shimmering golden butterfly to guide her. At the end of the hall was a man dressed in white, with a white porcelain mask covering his face and a long brown ponytail blowing in the wind. "Welcome," he said pleasantly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

His voice was warm and gentle, and despite the strange circumstances, Akari still felt safe in his presence. "Wh-Who are you?"

"I am Philemon," the man said, "the dweller between consciousness and unconsciousness. And now, a simple test. Can you state your name?"

Akari wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered. "Akari," she said quietly. "Akari Saitou."

Philemon nodded once in what looked like approval. "Splendid. There aren't many who can remember their identity when in this domain. You have passed that test…" He pointed one finger at her before she could say another word. "But tell me this: are you aware of the many and varied selves that you harbor within you? The self suffused with divine love, the self capable of demonic cruelty…"

Akari took a step back. "Wh-What are you saying?"

Philemon seemed to relax, putting Akari at ease. "People live by wearing different masks," he explained. "Your current self may be only one of those innumerable masks."

"Why are you telling me this?" Akari couldn't help but ask. The whole situation was so strange and bizarre, and her head felt foggy, like she was in a dream. But you weren't supposed to be completely aware in dreams, were you?

A golden light appeared in Philemon's hands. "Because you possess a very firm grip on your identity. I respect your strong will. In return, I grant you this power – Persona." The light faded slightly, revealing the silhouette of what appeared to be a woman in loose robes with flowing hair. "It is the power to summon selves within you, the gods and demons you harbor."

The silhouette floated into Akari's outstretched hands, and she stared at it in awe. "Per…sona?" she said faintly. "I-I think you're exaggerating my… What was it you called it? My 'strong will'? I'm really not…"

But Philemon ignored her protests entirely. "The time is soon when you will need to use that power. Now, you must return to your proper time and place."

Then, it was as if she was being forcibly pulled away from him. "Wait! I don't understand!"

She gasped as her eyes flew open, and she saw her homeroom teacher's face hovering anxiously above hers. "Oh, thank goodness!" Ms. Saeko cried. "You're finally awake!"

Akari groaned as she sat up, pressing one hand to her forehead. "What happened…?" Then, all of a sudden, there was a sharp pain in her head and a shrill ringing in her ears. _Thou art I… and I am thou… _She couldn't tell whether the voice that echoed in her mind was hers or someone else's – either way, it felt familiar.

"What's wrong? Ms. Saeko asked worriedly, putting one hand on Akari's back to steady her. "Are you all right?"

The strange headache faded into a dull throb, and Akari exhaled slowly. "I-I'm okay. I just have a headache."

Ms. Saeko sighed. "I was so scared when I heard you all collapsed…"

"All of us?" Akari asked. "Wait, who else—"

"Well, you were the first to go down," Akari heard Masao say, and she gasped and jumped when she realized that he, Yukino, and Kei had been there the whole time, " and the rest of us just sort of…"

"Apparently, it was quite a scene," Kei said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Supposedly, Hidehiko dragged the monkey's body here."

"I'm not a monkey!" Masao yelled back.

Akari _really_ didn't like the way Yukino was smirking at her. "And apparently, Akari, _Reiji-kun_ had to—"

"Yukino!" Akari shrieked, her face turning bright scarlet.

"Are you sure you're all okay, though?" Ms. Saeko asked worriedly. "Maybe you should go to the hospital… I mean, to suddenly collapse like that…"

And at that moment, the door flew open, revealing two identical boys with messy dark brown hair. "We heard our sister collapsed," one of them said.

"So we came to check up on her," said the other.

"Is she in any condition—"

"—to have visitors?"

Kei pushed his glasses up his nose and frowned sternly at them. "_Must_ you do that?"

"Wait, hang on," Yukino said as she approached the twins and crossed her arms. "I totally got this." She pointed to the one on the left. "You're Haru..." She shifted her finger to the boy on the right. "… and you're Haku."

The twins looked to each other and grinned mischievously. "Wrong!" they both said simultaneously.

"No, you're right," Akari said in a deadpan. "And you two need to stop doing that. It freaks people out."

Haru looked to Haku, his face deceptively blank. "Well, dear brother, it appears that we had nothing to worry about."

"I agree," Haku replied. "Our sister appears perfectly fine – or well enough to scold us, at the very least."

"No, she's _not_ fine," Ms. Saeko said pointedly. "Actually, she and her friends are on their way to the hospital. _Aren't_ they?"

"I-It's really not a big deal, Ms. Saeko," Akari said as she swung her legs out of the infirmary cot. Her legs shook only slightly when she stood, but she still felt weak and a little disoriented. "I'll just head straight home after work to rest."

"Looks like you're skipping it today, kiddo," the school nurse said, spinning around on her chair to face the group. "Yeesh. That makes five of your kids in the hospital, Saeko."

"Five?" Kei echoed. "But there are four of us here."

"Dumbass…" Masao muttered. "Maki's in there too!"

"Who?" Kei asked.

"Maki Sonomura," Akari elaborated. "About this tall," she held her hand slightly below the top of her head, "shoulder-length hair, wears a read bow all the time…"

"Ah yes," Kei said, pushing up his glasses. "I do recall someone of that description."

"Ah, Maki-senpai…" Haru said wistfully. "When was the last time we saw her?"

"Last month, I believe," Haku answered. "For Sis, it was at least another two months before that."

"So it would make perfect sense for Sis to visit her today," Haru said.

"If she feels well enough to do so, of course," Haku finished.

"That's a great idea!" Ms. Saeko agreed. "Why don't you all go visit Maki? If you're feeling well enough, that is."

"I don't think she'd…" Akari started, but exhaled slowly as she stopped herself. "Never mind."

* * *

"Phi-le-mon…" Yukino mused, carefully enunciating each syllable. "Yeah, I met him too." The four of them sat in the back seat of Kei's limousine, after his butler Yamaoka had insisted on driving them to the hospital, much to Kei's ire.

"So we all had the same dream…" Kei said slowly. "Odd. Very odd."

"What did he mean, though?" Masao asked, throwing his arms behind his head and leaning backward. "The 'dweller between consciousness and unconsciousness'? What was that all about?"

"Maybe…" Akari said slowly. "Is _this_ what Hidehiko-kun was talking about when he said strange things happen after playing the Persona game?"

"Dunno…" Yukino replied, groaning in frustration. "This is all so weird…"

"We've arrived, young master," Yamaoka called from the front seat as the limousine drew to a halt.

"I thought I told you not to call me that, you dummy!" Kei yelled petulantly.

"I will remain within the vicinity, young master," Yamaoka said. "I do hope nothing serious is plaguing you and your friends."

Kei looked absolutely furious, but Akari, Yukino, and Masao managed to usher him out of the limousine before he could say or do anything he'd regret later. "So, _young master_," Masao said teasingly, smirking.

"Shut up!" Kei snapped.

Akari giggled. She let her eyes wander, and froze when she saw a familiar face among a group of middle schoolers a little ways away. "Miki!" She waved at her sister, smiling gently.

A girl with short brown hair glanced over in her direction, looking embarrassed and a little disgusted. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, um…" Akari mumbled. Haru and Haku knew exactly what was wrong with her at the moment, but would it bother Miki if she knew as well?

As it turned out, Akari didn't have to explain anything. "Don't tell me you're hanging out with your friends today."

"I-I'm not really—"

"And I bet you want me to cover your shift, right?" Miki persisted, glaring at Akari. "That's not fair! You always ditch for exams and stuff!"

"It's not _that_ often," Akari retorted, crossing her arms and frowning at her sister. "And you skip work more than I do anyway, so you have no right to talk."

"Gee, if I'm going to skip so much work anyway, I might as well not get a job!" Miki said sarcastically.

"You know why you need one," Akari replied sternly.

"Oh, I'm _so_ sorry for being the _family dead weight_, Sis," Miki said. "You know what? I've had it. Screw you, Sis." And with that, Miki turned to leave.

Yukino stepped forward, her fists clenched. "Now wait just a minute!"

"It's okay, Yukino," Akari said sadly, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's fine."

By now, Miki and her group of friends were long gone, and Yukino huffed in annoyance. "Okay, _fine_. I know she's your sister and all, but you shouldn't let her push you around so much. You cover for her shifts all the time, so it's not fair of her to get so mad on the off chance that you want her to cover for you."

"She's only fourteen, Yukino," Akari said. "She shouldn't be working at all."

"I had no idea that young women could start working part-time jobs at such a young age," Kei said, effectively cutting through the tension.

"Come to think of it, doesn't _everyone_ in your family work?" Masao asked. "I mean, if your little sister has a part-time job, then your brothers do too, don't they?"

"They work at the textile shop next to the department store I work at," Yukino answered.

"And you _still_ can't tell them apart?" Kei deadpanned.

In the hospital lobby, Kei went to the front desk to explain the situation, and he came back to them within a few minutes. "They will be ready to see us in approximately twenty minutes," he explained.

"So…" Akari said slowly. "Do you guys want to visit Maki first, then?"

"It would be for the best," Kei replied. "Best not be idle."

"Cool," Yukino said flatly. "What room is she in?"

"Room 302," Masao answered promptly. When Yukino raised an eyebrow at him and smirked, and Akari smiled knowingly at him, his face turned red, and he fidgeted with his hat. "D-Don't look at me like that! A friend of mine told me! C'mon, let's just go already…"

They made their way to the room in question, and, sure enough, a brown-haired girl in a pink hospital gown sat in a cot there. "Thank you so much for coming to see me," Maki said sincerely as they entered the room and surrounded her. Her face was pale, and she looked much thinner than she was the last time Akari saw her, and not in a good way. She smiled gratefully at Masao. "You're so thoughtful, Masao-kun. You even convinced Akari to come."

"What do you mean?" Kei asked, ignoring Maki's thinly veiled jab at Akari.

"I told Masao I wanted to see everyone when he was here last time," Maki explained. "Isn't that why you all came?"

Akari wrung her hands together nervously. "Y-Yes, of course… Oh, um… I'm sorry. I forgot to bring your book. _Gate to Paradise_ – the one about—"

Maki's smile tightened. "I've read that book so many times that I practically have it memorized," she said stiffly, "and you're avoiding the subject, I see."

"So," Yukino interjected, clapping her hands together. "How've you been? You doing okay?"

Maki smiled more naturally at Yukino. "Uh-huh. I'm doing much better. I wonder if it's because of that good dream… It's hard to remember, but I keep dreaming of a really nice man. He's like a father… not like the doctors here…"

"What?" Masao demanded. "They do somethin' to you?"

"No, that's not it," Maki replied calmly. "I just… don't like doctors."

"Oh, uh…" Akari piped up. "H-How's your mom, doing, Maki? She's at SEBEC now, isn't she?"

"She's not my mom!" Maki shouted suddenly, her fists clenching around her blanket. "She cares more about her job than me! She doesn't care about me at all…"

"That's not true!" Akari said on impulse. If there was anything she remembered about Setsuko Sonomura, it was that the woman was an incredibly kind and caring person. The only reason she was working so much was because Maki's hospital bills had been increasingly more expensive lately, and Akari honestly felt she could relate to Maki's mother on a more personal level now. "It's not that simple, Maki. Who do you think it is, paying for your hospital bills?"

"You _would_ take her side, wouldn't you, Akari?" Maki asked in a low, dangerous voice as she panted heavily in anger. "You're just the same as _her_."

"You're acting like a spoiled brat!" The words were out of Akari's mouth before she could stop them, and she had to make a conscious effort to remind herself that she was talking to Maki and not Miki. She took a deep breath to calm herself and gripped her arm tightly. "Setsuko-san _does_ care about you, Maki, even if she can't be here all the time."

"Oh, like _you_ do?" Maki shot back. The girl was actually trembling now, and Akari noticed that her scowl was quickly morphing into a grimace. "You… You're horrible…"

Maki's body spasmed, and Akari realized with a sinking feeling what exactly was going on. "M-Maki?" It was just like back then, when Maki was in the middle of a particularly nasty seizure, the first Akari had ever seen – they were both eight years old, and Akari was so scared, because her mother and Setsuko weren't coming, no matter how loudly she screamed…

"This isn't good!" Yukino said, sounding alarmed. "Someone call a doctor!"

"I'm on it!" Kei called as he dashed outside the room.

"Maki—" Masao made a move to circle his arms around Maki.

"No, don't!" Akari cried, and Masao froze in place. Her body moved on pure reflex – she rolled Maki onto her left side. Maki screamed as she clutched Akari's hand tightly. "Hang in there, Maki…" Maki continued to scream.

* * *

Akari sighed as she leaned against the wall in front of the ICU, unable to stop thinking about her conversation with Maki. Sure, she hadn't visited her friend in a while, but she had a valid reason – she was busy with work and school, and… just busy in general. It wasn't like she _didn't_ want to visit Maki… but it had been so long since she last visited that she was sure that visiting at all now would be too late.

"I do hope it's nothing serious…" Kei said, snapping her out of her thoughts. He stood next to Yukino by the opposite wall, both their expressions forlorn.

Masao looked absolutely torn, his eyes narrowed in sadness as he stared at the floor. "Damn it… Why didn't her mother pick up the phone?"

"How could this happen?" Akari whispered to herself. "She said she was getting better…"

Suddenly, the ground shuddered beneath their feet. "Just stay calm," Yukino said. "It's just an earthquake." But then the ground shook even more violently – so violently that Akari could see one of the chairs in the corner of the hall falling over.

"Get out of the way!" Kei yelled, grabbing her arm and yanking her out of the way of a falling frame from above her.

And, within a few seconds, the earthquake subsided. Kei still gripped her arm firmly, as if Akari was some sort of lifeline. "I-Is everyone okay?" Yukino asked shakily.

Akari wrenched her arm out of Kei's grip and ran for the ICU doors. "Maki!" But when the doors slid open, all that was there in front was a wall.

"Whoa!" Masao gasped. "What the hell? Wh-Where'd the room go?"

"How is that…?" Kei said quietly, striding forward and pressing his hand against the wall behind the doors. "No, I was _positive_ that was the ICU a moment ago!"

Akari laid her hand against the wall and frowned. _This really isn't a dream…_ Suddenly, a loud scream echoed through the hall. "M-Maki?"

"That scream came from downstairs…" Kei observed. "Let's go!"

Everyone else was left with no choice but to follow suit.

* * *

_So this will probably (hopefully) be the longest author's note in this entire story. I promise, I'll shut up after this._

_So thanks for reading this! Persona 1 and Persona 2 are the most underrated games ever, but they're so different from Persona 3 and Persona 4 that writing for them is an entirely different experience altogether. And this is the fabled Persona 1 with a female protagonist, something I have not seen anywhere as of today (and if such a story exists, PLEASE let me know, because I really would love to read it)._

_The Persona 2 and Persona 3 stories that I will eventually write are going to build on this one. So basically, there will be small changes to canon in this trilogy of sorts, besides the obvious one of having a female protagonist, that will accumulate as the stories progress and eventually change the entire continuity altogether. So this first story, modeled after Persona 1, will have the fewest changes to canon. The second story, modeled after both games of Persona 2, will have a few more changes. The final story, modeled after Persona 3, will be completely different from the original because of all the changes that have accumulated over the Persona 1 and Persona 2 stories. _

_I'll be taking a lot of liberties with the specifics of this story. In the game, you're only allowed five party members for each story route, but in this story, they'll all be present. Speaking of which, this story will cover both the SEBEC and the Snow Queen routes. And the final pairing… I'll leave that for you guys to guess. It's really not that important to the plot, but it's still there._

_Please review!_


	2. Chapter 2

A putrid smell assaulted Akari as she finally caught up to Kei, Masao, and Yukino on the first floor of Mikage Hospital, and she covered her nose and mouth to block it out. "Wh-What in the world…?"

"Meat!" a hoarse, crackling voice groaned. "Meat is here!" And when Akari finally entered the room, she saw what it was – vacant-eyed, grotesque men and woman with bludgeons raised in the air.

"Wh-What's with these guys?" Yukino asked as she stood her ground, her voice shaking only slightly.

A nurse was cowering in the corner of the room, far away from the strange men and women. "Th-The dead patients suddenly got up and walked…" she whimpered, pointing a shaking hand at the vacant-eyed men and women.

"What, so they're like zombies or something?" Masao asked disbelievingly.

"Impossible…" Kei whispered.

"That old man rescued me," the nurse said as she pointed to a familiar-looking white-haired man lying crumpled on the floor.

Kei's face turned milky white as he recognized the old man. "Y-Yamaoka…?"

"Kei-kun!" Akari cried as he ran to Yamaoka, crouching before him. She followed him as well, sinking to her knees behind him.

"You bastards…" Kei said in a shaking voice. "How _dare_ you?"

But then, one of the zombies walked over and threateningly raised the weapon he was holding, and Akari shrieked. "Hang on!" Yukino called as she swung a fire extinguisher at its head, sending it sprawling.

"How the hell are we supposed to fight these things?" Masao asked as he grabbed a chair and swung it wildly at the zombies.

Somehow, one of the zombies managed to escape Masao and Yukino's assault, and it neared toward Kei and Akari. Kei moved protectively in front of Akari, glaring at the zombie. "I'll never forgive you bastards!" he roared. But it was no use – the zombie swung the bludgeon down, and Kei ducked out of the way, allowing the weapon to graze Akari's shoulder.

And then, all of a sudden, Akari's ears began to ring and that strange, sharp headache from before was back. _Thou art I… and I am thou… The time has come. Take… my hand…_ The voice that echoed in her mind sounded a lot like her own – but at the same time, it was thin, breathy, ethereal, and completely alien. For a second, it felt like a huge weight was taken off her shoulders, and Akari gasped as she saw a silhouette of a woman with long hair and flowing robes – much like the light in Philemon's hands. _I am Aliao, Maiden of the Southern Forest. From the sea of thy soul, I cometh. I shall lend you my strength. _The sword-like object in Aliao's hand morphed into a bow, and she fired an arrow at one of the zombies, extinguishing it on one shot.

"Whoa…" Masao gasped. But before anyone could get another word in, a yellowish figure rose out of him and struck another zombie, vanquishing it.

"H-Hey, what—" Yukino started, only to cut off when a red figure rose out from her. She smirked as she clenched her fist. "Frei."

"Hama!" Kei yelled as a bluish figure rose from him and vanquished the last zombie with a burst of light.

Akari slumped forward, panting as she stared at her shaking hands. "D-Did we seriously just…?"

"No way…" Masao gasped.

"Yamaoka!" Kei yelled. He was back by his butler's side, his expression frantic as he rolled the old man onto his back and shook him vigorously. "Yamaoka!"

"Oh, young master…" Yamaoka said in a frail voice, raising a shaking hand to cup Kei's face. "Why such a miserable face? Your noble face is… being spoiled…"

"Yamaoka!" Kei yelled again, his voice cracking. "You… You can't die! You won't leave me alone… Right, Yamaoka?"

"Please," Yamaoka whispered. "Listen to me, young master. You are a fine Japanese man… And a man must stand on his own someday… My sincerest apologies… that my service has already… come to an end…"

"Yamaoka…"

"Please promise me this…" Yamaoka whispered. "Please… Become the most important person in Japan!"

"Yes…" Kei whispered. "I will! Of course I will! I'll definitely show you that! That's why you have to…"

"Th-That's my young master…" Yamaoka choked out. "From this day forward…"

"No," Kei almost whimpered.

"… I will always be in your heart." Yamaoka exhaled as his hand fell over his chest.

"Yamaoka…?" Kei said faintly. But there was no response. "Yamaoka!" Kei shook the old man's body violently. "Answer me! Yamaoka—I order you to answer me!"

"Kei…" Yukino whispered.

"W-Wait, you guys!" Masao protested. "You heard it too, didn't you? That voice…"

"So I guess this means that dream we all had _was_ true…" Yukino mused.

"But…" Akari protested weakly as she stood up, gripping her now noticeably throbbing shoulder, and she groaned in pain. Yukino and Masao shot her worried glances, which she pointedly ignored. "If it really was that Persona thing… Those kinds of things don't exist… Right?"

"I don't believe it either," Yukino agreed. "That those monster-like things came out… or that we managed to kill them."

"Monsters…?" Masao echoed, his eyes widening in shock. "H-Hey, we can't just keep hanging around here! We've gotta find Maki, grab our asses, and run!"

"Masao-kun…?" Akari said faintly.

"What're we gonna do if there's more monsters like that, huh?" he demanded. "Come on! Get it together! We need to go, right now! Oy, Nanjo—" But Kei was still crouched by Yamaoka, not moving at all. "Nanjo?"

"I'm not going," Kei said quietly. "I'm staying here."

Akari stumbled over to Kei. "Kei-kun, Masao-kun's right. We can't just—"

"I said no!" he exploded suddenly, turning around to glare at her. Akari's heart broke for him when she saw his eyes red with tears.

"Fine!" Masao yelled angrily. "You can stay here and die, for all I care!" And with that, he stormed out of the room.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Yukino called, running after him.

"Kei-kun, please, just come," Akari begged.

"You go," he said dismally. "I'm staying with Yamaoka." But by then, Akari's patience had worn down entirely. She grabbed Kei's wrist and yanked him up, forcibly dragging him behind her. "Akari!"

* * *

"Akari." Kei's voice sounded weary and tired now, and though he'd stopped struggling and trying to break away a while ago, Akari still gripped his wrist tightly. "You can let go now."

Akari sighed as she released his arm, and she couldn't help but notice just how empty she felt now that she wasn't holding onto anything. "Is this really a good idea?" she asked. "Even if we _do_ find Maki, what can we do to help her? _Can_ we do anything?"

"We'll protect her and get her out of here," Masao said stubbornly.

"Protect her with _what_?" Yukino asked. "These Persona things? What if they don't come out like they did downstairs? What are we going to do then?"

"I don't know, okay?" Masao yelled.

Akari sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. It seemed like she'd left school with everyone so long ago, even though it'd barely been a couple hours since then. Were there demons in the rest of the city, too? Were Haru and Haku okay? Worse, was _Miki_ okay? A woman's voice suddenly echoed through the halls, and everyone froze. "What was that?" Yukino asked sharply, stepping to the front of the group.

"I-I think it might be human, but I'm not sure," Akari said. "I think we should go check it out." _But what if it's _not_ human?_ As she took a step forward, her knee gave out, and it was only Yukino, who suddenly gripped her arm to steady her, that kept her from falling down altogether. "S-Sorry," she said, giving everyone a weak smile.

"Are you okay?" Yukino asked.

"I'm okay," Akari replied on impulse. "I mean, my shoulder still hurts because the monster got me back there, but I'll be fine." _I'm scared. Help me. Mommy…_

And, as it turned out, her fears were entirely founded, as the voice she'd heard before belonged to yet another monster. Masao yelped in surprise. "Go back!" Yukino ordered. "Back the way we came!" But when Akari turned around, there were more monsters blocking their path. "Damn it!"

"Does this mean we have to fight?" Kei asked as they all stood back to back.

Akari closed her eyes as she tried to remember the feeling from before – Aliao's voice in her head, the rush of power, the feeling of total release. "Persona!" she cried, and, thankfully, Aliao rose out from within her.

"What a pain…" Yukino muttered as she summoned her Persona. I guess we have no choice but to fight, now."

And with that, the battle officially started.

* * *

"Don't cry, Yuka," Eriko said as she tried to console the hysterical girl. "I'm sure Kei, Masao, Akari, and Yukino are perfectly fine."

The two of them, plus Hidehiko, stood by a wall at school. Fortunately or unfortunately – they had yet to find out what exactly it was – they had easy access to the world outside St. Hermelin High. "Hey, Eriko-san," Hidehiko said uncertainly. "You sure about this?"

"It seems that everything is okay," Eriko said, smiling reassuringly at Yuka and Hidehiko. "I'm going out for a bit."

"No, don't!" Yuka wailed. "If you die, then what are _we_ supposed to do? You heard, right? There's monsters all over the city! That's what those people that came here said!"

"There's no need to worry," Eriko said calmly. "I'm confident in my fencing skills. A _demon_ or two will be _no problem_!" She gave Yuka and Hidehiko a carefree wave. "Well, I'm off!" And with that, she leapt out of the hole in the wall.

"Hey, be careful, Eriko-san!" Hidehiko called after her.

"If something happens to you, I won't care!" Yuka yelled petulantly, and Eriko couldn't help but smile at her antics.

The streets were completely deserted, which was unusual in and of itself, since people would usually be outside with their friends, ready to welcome the weekend (it _was_ a Saturday, after all). _It's so quiet…_ Things started going wrong ever since those people showed up at St. Hermelin, screaming about monsters in the city. No one believed them at first, but they were allowed to stay nonetheless. And then more and more people started coming… Eriko giggled excitedly. _It's just like a Stephen King novel! How amazing…_

A slithering noise put her on high alert, however, and she hid behind the nearest pole as two lizard-like monsters strolled into view. _So those are _real monsters_… What an _exciting experience_!_ Still, when the monsters left, Eriko sighed in relief; just because she _could_ fight them off if she had to didn't mean she _wanted_ to. But then, as she looked down, splotches of something reddish brown caught her eye. _Bloodstains…? _They seemed to form something of a trail, which she followed. "Is someone there?" she called.

"S-Someone help…" The source of the bloodstains was a middle-aged woman with short brown hair and glasses, and blood was pouring out of a wound on her shoulder.

Eriko ran to her immediately. "Are you all right?" she asked concernedly. "What happened—"

Eriko gasped as the woman suddenly grabbed her arms. "You're a St. Hermelin student, aren't you?" the woman asked anxiously. "My name is Setsuko Sonomura. Do you know Maki Sonomura in class 2-4? I'm her mother!"

"It's nice to finally meet you, Setsuko-san," Eriko said politely, "though I wish the circumstances were a bit different. "I'm her classmate, Eriko Kirishima. But your wounds—"

"N-No, it's nothing serious," Setsuko said wearily. "I-I have to get to the police right away…" Setsuko's eyes suddenly widened in horror, and Eriko realized with a sinking feeling that a monster had found them.

But Eriko was ready. She brandished the rapier she'd brought with her and smirked confidently at the monster. She was in the middle of an important apocalypse, and there was no way she'd be going down so easily.

And then, all of a sudden, a voice echoed in her head. _Thou art I… and I am thou. Take my hand…_

_Th-This is…_ Eriko shook her head furiously to clear it, though when a large winged figure rose out from within her, she felt more relieved than anything.

_I am Nike, goddess of victory_, said the voice in her head. _Come. Let us conquer our foes._

_The goddess Nike… She's me, and I'm her… _And at that moment, Eriko felt more confident than ever that she'd win.

* * *

Akari sank to her knees as soon as the battle was over. Her shoulder was now throbbing worse than before, and she felt exhausted and drained. Masao kicked a pile of soot that was formerly a monster. "These guys aren't a big deal at all!" he said haughtily as he snickered. "Or maybe we're just too strong…"

Yukino yanked on his ear. "Get off your high horse! It's thanks to our Personas that we can even fight those things, remember?"

"Stay on your guard," Kei warned everyone. "There might be more."

Akari struggled to stand up. "We should check for survivors," she said, trying to ignore the shiver that ran down her spine. "If we're the only ones who can fight these things, then we need to help as many people as we can."

When a door opened behind them, Masao yelped in surprise. But thankfully, the ones behind the door were human – a doctor and a nurse. "Oh, thank goodness!" the doctor sighed in relief. "You're all right!"

"Are you all injured?" the nurse asked anxiously. "Let us help you!"

And, for the next several minutes, that was all they did, and Akari rolled her newly bandaged shoulder back a few times. Pain still pulsed through it, but it wasn't as bad as before. "It might hurt for a little while," the doctor said, "but nothing looks broken, so you'll be fine."

"Thank you," Akari said as she smiled at him, and she couldn't help but wonder if she at least appeared more confident and at ease than she really felt. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

"So doc," Masao said quickly. "There's someone we're looking for – Maki Sonomura. D'you know what happened to her?"

"Oh, Sonomura…" the nurse said quietly.

The doctor pressed a hand to his forehead. "I don't know…" he whispered. "I-I thought it was just an ordinary earthquake, but then there was this terrible pressure… When I came to, I was in here, and Sonomura-kun was nowhere to be seen. I was going to go look for her, but…"

"… but the monsters showed up, right?" Akari finished.

"So call the police!" Masao yelled a bit rudely. "Or the fire department!"

"I tried!" the doctor protested, swiveling his chair around to face a desk as he lifted a phone from its receiver. "There's no dial tone! I can't get to the ICU, and that girl needs treatment!"

"And it's not just the phone," the nurse added. "The TV, the radio, the computers… nothing's working!" She exhaled slowly as she stood up and pulled open the curtains in the room, and Akari gasped as she saw a strange white mist covering the city. "This mist doesn't look natural. We want to investigate, but we can't leave the patients here alone."

"So please…" the doctor begged. "Get in contact with the outside, somehow. I'm begging you!"

* * *

"Damn, it's no good," Masao muttered as he stepped outside a booth with a pay phone. "No dial tone here either."

Akari shivered. "Okay. We'll just head back to the school and see what to do from there."

"Yeah," Yukino said. "Head back to the school, and then what? If we can't get into contact with anyone outside the city, then there's nothing we can do."

"Why is this happening to _our_ city?" Kei asked, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Why _here_, of all places?"

"It's no use thinking too hard about it," Akari said briskly. She sighed. "I just hope Miki's okay…"

"Hey…" Masao said slowly. "Is it just me, or does the air seem kinda… heavy?"

"No more!" Yukino snapped. "If we keep talking about it, we'll psyche ourselves out. That's what the enemy wants, and we are _not_ giving into him."

No one said a word as they walked through the deserted streets. "We should look for survivors," Akari said quietly after a long silence. Yukino, Kei, and Masao simply glanced at her, but didn't say anything in response. "I'm serious. Think of how scared they must be, being trapped in here, without being able to defend themselves…"

They neared a large building with the name "SEBEC" written in lights across the side. "D'you think there might be some in here?" Masao asked, jerking his thumb toward the building's entrance.

Inside, Akari could see various men in suits – along with someone in a school uniform. "Isn't that…?"

Kei clenched his fists, his eyebrows furrowing slightly, but then he quickly relaxed and sighed. "Fine. Do what you must."

Akari ran inside, stopping just behind the wavy-haired boy in the St. Hermelin uniform. "So, you're not lettin' me through?" he asked in a low voice as he cracked his knuckles. "Looks like I'll have to use force, then." It was strange, seeing Reiji like this – normally he was so quiet and reserved…

"Don't make me tell ya twice," one of the men in the suits sneered at him. "Past here is SEBEC territory. You don't listen, then maybe you get shot to death."

Something jolted in Akari's chest, and she stepped forward without thinking. "Oh, there you are, Reiji-kun!" she said, forcing a smile and entwining her fingers with his as she gripped his hands tightly, ready to drag him out at a moment's notice. "I've been looking all over for you!"

Reiji narrowed his eyes at her. "You…"

Making a mental note to apologize profusely to Reiji later, Akari smiled at the suited man who had threatened Reiji before. "I'm so sorry for the trouble," she said. "There was that huge earthquake, and then we got separated… He must've thought I was here, or something."

"Why?" the suited man asked pointedly.

_I'm sorry, Setsuko-san._ "Because my mom works here," Akari replied much too easily for her liking, and it was hard to ignore the strange look Reiji sent her way.

"Yeah, well get out," the man sneered. "This ain't no playground."

"Ah, sorry," Akari said. "Come on, Reiji-kun. Let's go." It was even harder to ignore Yukino, who looked like she was about to burst out laughing.

"Wait a minute," Masao said slowly as they all exited the SEBEC building together. "Did you just… adopt Maki's mom as _your_ mom?"

"Kind of?" Akari said as she finally released Reiji's hand. "I'm so sorry, Reiji-kun. I… I wasn't sure if that guy was serious or not about the whole… being shot to death thing."

"Whatever," the taller boy muttered, turning on his heel and preparing to walk away.

"Wait," Yukino interjected before he could take a single step. "It's too dangerous for you to go off on your own. Come with us."

"I don't see the need," Reiji said through gritted teeth.

"Reiji-kun, _please_," Akari begged him as she grabbed one of his hands with both of hers.

Reiji jerked his hand out of her grasp. "Fine."

Akari sighed in relief and smiled at him. "Good. Stay close to us, and we'll do our best to protect you."

Reiji raised one disbelieving eyebrow at her. "Yeah," he deadpanned. "You do that."

"Oh, _there_ you are! We were all so worried!" From seemingly out of nowhere, Eriko hobbled over to them, half supporting, half dragging a brown-haired, middle-aged woman with her.

"Setsuko-san?" Akari gasped as she noticed the blood covering nearly half her side. "Oh my god, what happened?"

"Maki…" the woman groaned. "Is she…? I need to… I need to…" And with that, her eyes rolled backward as she collapsed altogether.

* * *

_Aliao (also known as the Lady of Yue and Maiden of the Southern Forest), Akari's Persona, was a swordswoman from the Chinese state of Yue who lived during the reign of King Goujian. In a war against the state of Qu, King Goujin wished to hire the best trainers for his army, at which point Prime Minister Fan Li suggested consulting a woman from the Southern Forest, Aliao, who was reported to be exceptionally skilled at sword fighting. The maiden had learned archery and how to use a sword by hunting with her father, and she compared the art of the sword to a door, stating that while strengthening the spirit, one should remain outwardly calm. So, likewise, Akari's Persona is sort of a jack of all stats, but doesn't really specialize in anything. She has decent attack and defense, an affinity toward wind abilities, and a few healing abilities, but nothing exceptional. Think of Akari as the Red Mage of this little gang - she's easily outclassed by other party members in pretty much everything._

_I won't tell you what Arcanum Akari has right now – that will be revealed later. But if you'd like to guess, I'll tell you if you're right or wrong._

_Please review!_


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh my god…" Ms. Saeko whispered. It took the combined efforts of Akari, Yukino, and Eriko to bring Setsuko Sonomura to the school infirmary, and the unconscious woman had only just woken up. "Who would do something like this?"

In that moment, Akari noticed just how worn Setsuko looked – somehow, the wrinkles around her eyes and the frown lines on her forehead seemed much more prominent. "It was Kandori's goons," she said solemnly.

"Kandori?" Kei echoed. "The current president of this branch of SEBEC?"

"The alterations to this town…" Setsuko said in a shaking voice. "Kandori's behind them all… I…" She covered her face with both hands. "I'm so sorry! I… I didn't know the Deva System would…"

"What's this Deva System thing?" Masao asked.

"I'm guessing it's the thing that's making all this crazy shit happen," Yukino mused.

"It's engineered to affect reality," Setsuko explained. "But I never thought… I didn't think it could do something like this…" Her body jerked upward, her face contorted into a pained grimace as she struggled to get out of the infirmary cot. "I have to tell the police!"

"No, you need to stay put!" the school nurse, Natsumi, said as she gently pushed Setsuko back down. "You need to rest."

"Okay, how about this?" Masao asked. "We'll just head down to the police station, and—"

"Tomorrow," Ms. Saeko said pointedly, earning questioning stares from everyone. "If you guys keep pushing yourself like this, especially after you collapsed like that, it won't help anyone. So just rest for today, and we'll see what we can do tomorrow."

"You were all at the hospital, right?" Setsuko asked frantically. "Is Maki—"

"She's fine," Akari cut her off. "Don't worry."

The look of utter relief on Setsuko's face made Akari feel a little guilty for lying, but nothing was worse than worrying about someone when you couldn't help them. "Thank goodness."

"Oh, speaking of which…" Ms. Saeko said. "Your sister's here, Akari. She showed up here about an hour ago, completely in tears."

"R-Really?" It was as if an immense weight was lifted from her shoulders. "Is she okay? Where is she?"

"She's in the cafeteria, but—" Ms. Saeko said, but Akari didn't let her finish as she sprinted out of the school infirmary.

* * *

"Wait, so what happened?" Miki asked, sipping on a juice box. "How'd you get past all those monsters?"

"Didn't you know?" Haru asked teasingly from Miki's left.

"Sis is a badass," Haku said from Miki's right.

Miki let out a yell of frustration. "Would you guys stop doing that already?"

Akari laughed despite herself, because her siblings' antics were just so _normal_ that it became easy to forget everything else that was going on. "Miki, are you absolutely, positively sure that you aren't hurt anywhere?"

"I'm _fine_," Miki insisted. "Geez, why don't I just strip down naked and have you inspect me? Like those twins in that weird manga under Haku's bed."

Akari raised a questioning eyebrow at Haku. "I have only one thing to say in my defense," he said. "The sole perpetrator was Haru. I was framed, you see."

"Lies," Haru retorted with a smirk. "All lies. What was it you called it, dear brother? _Twincest and lolicon all in one_? Besides – nurses do it for me."

"I don't even want to know," Akari said flatly. "Anyway…" She exhaled slowly. "According to Setsuko-san, all this is happening in this city only. So that means Dad's safe, since he's over in Sumaru for the day."

"What about Amaya-san?" Haru asked.

"I think Reiji-kun's going to go look for her tomorrow," Akari replied. "I…" She took a deep breath. "I'm going, too. To find out what's really going on."

"Wait, are you _serious_?" Miki shrieked, standing up and slamming her hands down on the table. "After all that talk about _me_ being careful?"

"I _have_ to, Miki," Akari tried reasoning with her. "I'm one of the only people who can."

"Why?" Haru and Haku asked simultaneously.

"Because I can actually fight back," Akari replied, smiling to herself. "Anyway – you three have to look after each other while I'm gone."

"But who's going to look after _you_?" Haru asked pointedly.

"Don't even worry," Yukino interjected, slinging one arm lazily around Akari. "We've got this. We'll make sure your sister gets back in one piece."

"I still don't like this…" Miki grumbled.

"Hey…" Yukino said, jerking her head toward a table where Kei, Masao, and Eriko sat.

"S-Sorry…" Akari mumbled as she stood up hastily to join the rest of her friends. "I'll be back." She moved her food tray over to their table and sat down quietly next to Eriko.

"So," Yukino said, clasping her hands together as she slid into her own seat. "What're we gonna do?"

"I say we crash SEBEC and shut that Deva System thing down," Masao whispered, slamming his fist into the palm of his other hand.

"And how exactly do you propose we do that?" Kei asked, pushing his glasses up his nose with his middle finger. "You saw the way those goons threatened to gun down Kido earlier."

"Kei-kun's right," Akari sighed. "It's too risky. I think we should just leave it to the police."

"But what if they can't do anything either?" Masao hissed.

"They'll be able to do more than us," Akari retorted, frowning slightly. She sighed. "I don't like this, either, but at the end of the day, I need to be there for Haru, Haku, and Miki. I can't afford to throw my life on the line for something that might not even work. I'm sorry."

"Don't you care about Maki at all? She's in trouble too!"

Akari squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists in frustration. "Just… Don't bring up Maki now. Please."

Silence lapsed between them as Akari prodded her rice with her chopsticks. She didn't feel the slightest bit hungry, but she knew she should at least try to eat, if only because she probably wouldn't get the chance later. "I swear, that SEBEC building's cursed," one boy said.

"I heard they're making biological weapons," another said. "That's why there's monsters everywhere."

"Come to think of it…" a girl said slowly. "… didn't Chisato-san and Yosuke-kun go missing around two months ago? Is that because of the curse?"

"I want to go home…" another girl whimpered, and Akari winced in sympathy. "Let me go home…"

She jumped as there was a loud crash, and took an embarrassingly long time for her to realize that it was Reiji, slamming his fist against the table. "Don't make such a big deal out of nothing!" he hissed, his expression livid.

"Reiji-kun…?" she said quietly as the taller boy stormed out of the room.

"That's the loudest I've ever heard him talk…" Eriko mused. "Normally, he's so quiet…"

Yukino sighed. "Looks like this whole thing's got us all on edge…"

_Reiji-kun…_

* * *

"Wow, Maki, this is incredible!" Chisato Kasai gushed as she stared excitedly at the prized painting on display in the classroom. "You know, it's _super_ rare for first years to win first place in this competition."

"Thanks, Chisato!" Maki replied, giggling. "But don't sell yourself short either. You won second place, so it looks like the first years won this round!"

Akari finally managed to catch Maki's eye then, and she smiled brightly at her friend. "Hey…" Chisato said to Maki as she looked over. "Isn't that Saitou-san?"

"Yeah?" Maki said. "What about her?"

"Didn't her mom…?"

Maki whispered something to Chisato that Akari couldn't quite hear, but then Yosuke Naito threw his arms around both Maki and Chisato and interrupted the whole scene. "There you guys are! Congratulations, both of you!"

Maki giggled. "Thanks, Yosuke-kun!"

"Anyway, there's something I wanna ask you guys," he said. "It's going to be summer vacation soon, right? Let's go see the ocean! It'll be overnight, of course, but one of my uncles has this villa near some mountains that he said we could use!" Yosuke's eyes drifted over to Akari. "Oh, and Akari-chan can come too, of course!"

Akari jumped as any and all plans to stay out of sight were promptly dashed. She walked over to Maki and her friends with her head slightly bowed. "Oh, I'm sorry…" she said quietly. "I-I can't really take any time off over summer. Sorry…"

"Yeah, I can't really come either," Maki added. "It's… kind of unreasonable for me."

"Wait, why?" Yosuke asked, his expression blank.

Chisato smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Stupid Yosuke! I told you! Maki's…" She sighed. "I'm sorry, Maki. You looked so full of energy that I just thought… Sorry. That was really insensitive of me."

Akari smiled faintly as she stepped away inconspicuously. Chisato and Yosuke were more Maki's friends than her own, after all, and she knew that the only reason they included her in their plans at all was because they felt sorry for her.

She sighed as she opened her eyes, forcibly snapping herself back to the present. Sleep had remained stubbornly out of her grasp, but she couldn't explain, for the life of her, why such a random memory had to surface then, of all times. And wasn't it strange? She actually had _friends _now… but Maki never smiled at her like that anymore, and most likely never would again. Come to think of it, Akari doubted she could even call Maki her friend anymore…

The school had somehow managed to provide enough futons for almost everyone to sleep on – though there were some stragglers, as Miki and Haku were forced to share one. Her head was throbbing dully, and she was a little hungry, but she stood up and made her way over to the nearest window nonetheless. The cool air would have felt soothing, if not for the crushing, oppressive feeling that accompanied it. She'd discarded her jacket long ago, having lent it to Miki, and was now shivering as a result.

"Oh, you couldn't sleep either, Akari?"

Eriko tiptoed over, her long hair out of its usual ponytail. "Eriko-san…" Akari sighed. "I _am_ tired, but every time I close my eyes…"

"Yeah, I understand," Eriko said, saving her from an awkward explanation. "It's the same for me. My heart's still beating too fast…" She bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet. "But isn't it exciting? It's so _mysterious_ all of a sudden!"

Akari giggled, despite herself. "No offense, Eriko-san, but I think you're the only person who feels that way."

"Oh really?" Eriko smirked teasingly. "You don't seem to hate this as much as you want us all to believe, Akari."

"R-Really…?" Akari gasped. "Well…" She sighed. "I _am_ worried about everyone, but…" _But whenever I summon my Persona, I feel so _powerful_, like I can do anything… And I feel so _free_… _"I see your point, but…"

"It still doesn't feel right?" Eriko guessed correctly. "I know, but… Look at it this way – we got this power for a reason. All we have to do is put it to good use. And you can easily protect your siblings now."

"Yeah, I can…" Akari said quietly, smiling to herself.

A loud crash snapped her out of her thoughts. "Oh my…" Eriko said quietly.

"It sounded like it came from the cafeteria," Akari whispered.

Yukino stirred suddenly, groaning as she rolled onto her side to face Akari and Eriko. "Wh-What was that?" she mumbled.

"Something's wrong," Akari said.

Yukino scrambled up, rubbing her eyes. "There's no way you guys are leaving me behind," she said. "Let's hurry!"

And so, they all ran to the source of the noise, and the quiet started grating on Akari's nerves. _What's going on…?_ At long last, they reached the cafeteria – and their worst fears were confirmed as they saw broken glass and rubble scattered everywhere. One lone figure stood amidst everything – a pudgy-looking boy with hair black as an oil slick. "Kenta-kun?"

Kenta Yokouchi was in her class the previous year, though he was in a different one this year. No one particularly hated him, but he wasn't generally well-liked either. He stood with a dazed expression in the middle of the room, blinking slowly at everyone. "I'm not…"

"Are you okay?" Akari asked urgently, putting her hands on his shoulders. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I'm not a lump of meat…" Kenta whispered, as if in a trance.

"Wh-What are you talking about…?" Akari mumbled.

"Ah, what's this?" Akari honestly didn't expect Yuka to join them at that moment, but all she could think of was that she had one more person to protect, if necessary. "The cafeteria's completely trashed! What happened?"

Akari shivered as something heavy and oppressive seemed to crush her. "Y-Yuka, get back! Something's not right!"

"I'll show you…" Kenta whispered in a shaking voice. "Yuka-san… I'll show you my power!"

"Yuka, what did you _do_?" Yukino yelled.

"N-Nothing!" Yuka denied quickly. "Okay, so the fatso asked me out earlier today, and I kinda rejected him, but that's not a big deal, right?"

"Y-You said… the F-word…" Kenta said in a low voice. "Don't call me fat!" His body seemed to glow as something large sprouted from his stomach, and he laughed in an almost deranged way. "I-Isn't it incredible, Yuka-san? The butterfly man gave it to me!"

"Come and get it!" Eriko said confidently as she summoned her own Persona.

"Wait, Eriko!" Yukino yelled, throwing her arm out in front of her.

The figure that came from Kenta's torso glared furiously at Akari and Yuka as it lunged toward them. The two girls ducked out of the way quickly, and Akari squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to summon Aliao. "Yuka, be careful!" she cried as her Persona finally came out. But then, Kenta's Persona opened its mouth, and fire streamed out, striking Aliao. It was as if Akari's entire body was on fire, and she screamed, pressing her hands to the sides of her head.

"H-Hey!" Yuka yelled as she threw a piece of rubble at the Persona. "If you've got a problem with me, don't take it out on her!" She glared fiercely at Kenta, but Akari could still see the blonde girl shaking through her blurry vision. The Persona turned its attention towards Yuka, sending a steam of fire shooting at her, but then Yuka's body began to glow, and a reddish figure emanated from her. "Wh-What the…?" She turned to her newly awakened Persona, raising her eyebrows. "Huh? 'Agilao'?" Kenta's Persona was suddenly engulfed in flame, and the boy screamed.

"Y-Yuka, stop!" Akari cried.

"Wait, you moron!" Yukino yelled. "You'll kill him if you keep that up!"

"Th-That's it, Yuka-san…" Kenta said, laughing. "That's why I—"

At that moment, Eriko had grabbed a piece of rubble and hit him in the back of the head with it. "Good grief…" she sighed as she dropped the stone.

"Finally…" Akari mumbled as she collapsed to her knees in exhaustion.

Yuka, Yukino, and Eriko collapsed to their knees as well. "Yuka, you _idiot_…" Yukino grumbled.

"I'm sorry!" Yuka wailed. "I didn't know he felt so bad about it!"

Suddenly, Akari's ears began to ring, and that sharp headache from before was back as she squeezed her eyes shut. _What you have just seen…_ Philemon's voice echoed in her mind, _… is another side to Persona. _When she reopened her eyes, she was back in Philemon's realm – with Yukino, Yuka, and Eriko. "That boy was unable to restrain his other self," Philemon explained, "and so his Persona dominated him. But because of his weak heart, his Persona's rampage can be forgiven."

"Philemon, what are you—" Yukino started.

"Persona is the shape of your heart," Philemon continued. "It is neither a good nor an evil power, inherently. Only those with a strong will can freely manipulate it."

"Does that mean I have a strong will, as expected?" Yuka asked excitedly.

But, all of a sudden, they were all back in the cafeteria, and Akari felt so dizzy that it was impossible to move, let alone get up. "Y-Yuka…" she said shakily. "For all our sakes, please don't make him angry again."

"You didn't call him a lump of meat, by any chance, did you?" Yukino asked with a sigh. Yuka just laughed nervously in response. "You can't just blurt out stuff like that without thinking! Of _course_ he'd be hurt!"

"M-Maybe I went a little too far…?" Yuka said, laughing anxiously.

"You did, Yuka…" Eriko sighed.

"How on earth are we going to get back like this?" Akari asked.

"All right," Yukino grunted as she staggered to her feet. "Eriko, you look like you're in better shape than the other two. On three?"

Eriko nodded. "One…"

"Two…"

"Three!" both she and Yukino called in unison as they simultaneously hauled Akari and Yuka to their feet. The four of them leaned on each other as they stumbled back to their classroom.

"Yuka?" Akari mumbled. "Please, _please_ don't piss him off like that again."

"I promise!" Yuka replied. "Wait, but what're we gonna do about…?"

The four of them stopped, and Akari realized much too slowly that Kenta was still lying unconscious in the cafeteria. "Oh no…" Akari moaned.

"I'll deal with it," Eriko volunteered. "The three of you rest."

"Are you sure?" Akari asked on impulse.

"Are you in any condition to _help_ her deal with it?" Yukino deadpanned. Akari simply sighed. "I didn't think so."

"Oh yeah…" Akari mumbled groggily as her body went limp. "If your Persona gets hurt, then you get hurt too."

"Yeah, we figured," Yukino retorted. "C'mon, Akari. Work with me, here. I can't drag you and Yuka at once. You can pass out in the classroom."

"Thanks, Yukino…"

* * *

_I know I said this before, but this story's going to cover both the Snow Queen quest and the SEBEC quest. So… please review, and stay tuned?_


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